Swing Dancing
by tech-17
Summary: Holly and Artemis go to a swing dance. Just a twoshot; me trying to be cute. as usual, T because I'm more paranoid than Foaly.
1. Holly

Swing Dancing

_Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you people? I don't own the Artemis Fowl series!_

We were sitting in the living room at Fowl Manor. After Artemis got Atlantis Complex his whole family found out about the People. They had easily accepted me. I think they recognized how before Atlantis I made Artemis a better person. They whole family was sworn to secrecy.

Currently I looked human. I was testing out one of Foaly's new inventions, a shot that made fairies temporarily human. Right now I looked about 16.

The radio was playing. I smiled as a song I recognized came on the radio. It was an old mud man song, swing style. I started tapping my foot to the beat.

Artemis Senior stood, holding out a hand to Angeline. She took it and he pulled her to her feet, twirling her around. Artemis stood and held out a hand to me.

"Do you know how to swing dance?" I asked.

Artemis scoffed. "Of course."

I grinned and took his hand. We'll see. I lived through the time when swing was first in style with the mud men. It was still popular with fairies.

At first we just did the basic steps. Then Artemis twirled me around. He let go of one hand to wrap his hand around his back, palm up. I put my hand in his and he twirled me around into a move known as the pretzel. It ended up with my arms crossed over my chest, my hands still in his, my back against his chest.

Slowly Artemis' moves grew more elaborate. Swing dancing requires trust, as sometimes the guy actually picks the girl up. I was surprised to find that I trusted Artemis not to drop me on my head. Trouble did that once. But Artemis held me up easily. The last move of the song was a perfectly timed pretzel and on the last note of the song he twirled me out and let go of my hand, bowing to me. I smiled at him.

We sat down on the couch. "Thank you." Artemis said.

"You're welcome. I didn't know you could dance like that."

Artemis smiled his vampire smile. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

I smiled a little. Another swing song came on. Artemis stood, holding out a hand. I put my hand in his and he pulled me to my feet. After the song Artemis' parents decided to go upstairs. Artemis sat on the couch and I sat next to him. The radio played a slow song. There was a fire in the fireplace. I felt tired. I leaned my head on Artemis' shoulder. He put an arm around me and leaned his head against mine. I fell asleep.

55555

After a while I guess Artemis decided sleeping on the couch wasn't a good idea. He slid one arm under my legs and another around my back and picked me up. It woke me up a little, not enough to have it bother me that Artemis was carrying me, but enough to wonder since when was Artemis strong enough to carry me? I leaned my head against his chest, not awake enough to care.

I heard Artemis tell Butler that he would carry me himself, and Butler answer. Artemis carried me up to the bedroom and laid me in my bed, pulling the covers over me. He kissed me on the forehead and left.

4444

The next morning I woke up and couldn't remember how I got in the bed. Then it came back to me. Artemis carrying me upstairs. I groaned, I hoped Artemis wouldn't tease me about falling asleep. Of course, I could always tease him about carrying me upstairs.

I got up and got dressed, then went downstairs. We had breakfast in the kitchen. Angeline Fowl liked to seem like a "normal" family, so, breakfast around the kitchen table.

When I got to the kitchen Angeline offered me coffee. I gladly accepted. Artemis came down a minute later. He dropped into the chair next to me. Angeline pushed a mug of coffee towards him, seeming amused by the fact that her son was apparently not a morning person. It amused me to, as I always assumed Artemis got up with the sun.

Angeline was reading the paper. "Oh, look, Arty," she said. "The local homeschool choir is holding a swing dance to raise money. You two should go."

Artemis groaned. "Mother!"

I snickered, he was always doing this.

"It would probably be fun for Holly. Don't you have to go home soon? We should do everything we can to have her enjoy her stay."

Artemis put his head on the table. "It's up to Holly."

I grinned. He probably thought I'd say no. "I think it sounds fun."

Angeline smiled. "Excellent!"

55555

Artemis led me into the dance. It just a gym, but they had hung Christmas lights around. The regular lights were dim. Artemis pulled me onto the dance floor, dancing like we did last night. It felt right to dance with Artemis.

"Alright everyone, we're gonna do a snowball!" the MC said, then proceeded to explain. A snowball is were two people start dancing then switch partners, pulling everyone in. a couple started. Then the MC called, "Snowball!" and they broke off. The guy came and held his hand out to me.

I took it, what else could I do? He pulled me onto the dance floor. Whoever he was, he was a good dancer. He stayed away from a lot of the moves Artemis had done with me. I was glad of that. With Artemis I didn't mind, but I didn't know this guy.

"Snowball!" my partner let go of my hand and I ran to find Artemis.

After the snowball the MC played a couple regular swing songs. Then he announced, "I know this is a swing dance, but I've had several requests for a slow dance. So here you go."

A slow song came on. I was standing next to Artemis and he looked over at me. Almost nervously he asked, "Will you dance with me?"

I nodded and he slid his arms around me. I put my arms around his neck, glad that tonight I was human, and therefore not that much shorter than Artemis. He pulled me close as we swayed back and forth and leaned his cheek against the top of my head.

When the song ended he seemed reluctant to let go of me. I realized that I liked having his arms around me. We went to sit down. There were benches around the edge and I sat close to Artemis. Tentatively he put an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him. I felt Artemis' hand on my face and looked up at him. I could see in his eyes that he was worried, then he leaned in to kiss me.

I realized that I had been wanting him to kiss me for a while, and kissed him back.

4444

A couple weeks later I was back in Haven. Trouble came into my office to ask me if I would go to a swing dance with him.

"That depends."

"On…?"

"On whether you're asking me as a friend or as a date."

"Just a friend. I know you like to swing dance."

I smiled. "Yep. I love to swing dance." I said, thinking of the last swing dance I went to, and hoping I could go to another surface one soon.

END

**Author note: I love swing dancing. I'm not very good, that's why the more complicated moves aren't described; I've never done them. My friend, who's way better than me did tell me that her boyfriend dropped her on her head once, so that bit about Trouble dropping Holly on her head is realistic. Swing dancing does require trust, because there are a lot of moves that have the guy picking up the girl. I've never done those cause I don't have a guy I trust enough. I went to a swing dance last weekend, that's what inspired me to write this, cause it's just so fun. And watching homeschoolers slow dance it cute. Homeschool guys have more respect for girls. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always appreciated, they make me feel special.**


	2. Artemis

**This is the same story as the previous chapter, only from Artemis's POV. The story kept bugging me to write what Arty saw. When I wrote the original, I almost did it in third person because I wanted to tell how Artemis felt, but writing as Holly it more fun. I like being a character. Anyway, I'll tell you right now, the first chapter is probably better because I am a teenage girl, so writing a girl's POV is much easier to be accurate. Also, I know they are both OOC, its fanfiction, it happens.**

I sat on the couch next to Holly. We were listening to the radio. Earlier we had been talking with my parents, but now we were sitting in silence. I glanced at Holly out of the corner of my eye. She looked a bit different than usual. Obviously she looked similar, same dark skin, auburn hair, mismatched eyes, but her pointy ears were gone, and she was taller. Foaly had a new invention, something that changed her appearance, and Holly was testing it, to see if she could really pass as a 16-year-old girl.

I saw her smile as a swing song came on the radio. Her foot started tapping. Hmm. Maybe… Father stood, pulling Mother to her feet, spinning her around. I stood, slightly nervously, I must admit, and held my hand out to Holly, inviting her to dance. She looked up at me.

"Do you know how to swing dance?"

This was probably the best thing she could have said. Now I had something to prove, and I wasn't as nervous. "Of course." I replied.

She smiled as she placed her hand in mine. She probably thought I wouldn't be very good. Well, wouldn't she be surprised?

I started off slow, getting a feel of how Holly danced. She had excellent rhythm. It seemed she was a natural. Slowly I let our moves become more elaborate. Several entailed me actually picking Holly up, flipping her over my arm or my shoulders and such. She was very light. I suppose that comes from actually being a meter-high elf, and not a human.

I timed the ending perfectly, spinning her out away from me just as the song ended. I bowed to her, and she smiled.

"Thank you," I said, meaning both the dance and the smile. Every time she smiles at me, it's like the world gets a little brighter.

"You're welcome. I didn't know you could dance like that."

She sounded slightly impressed. I gave her my vampire smile, to hide the fact that I wanted to grin in a way that would seem unnatural for me. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

She smiled a little at that. I sat down next to her. Then I recognized the opening beats of another swing song, one of my favorites. I stood, and offered her my hand again. She took it, and I pulled her into another dance.

After that one my parents decided to go upstairs. A slow song started to play. I debated asking Holly to dance to it, but decided not to push my luck. I felt Holly lean her head against my shoulder. This was a pleasure I didn't often get. I put my arm around her and leaned my head against hers, enjoying her closeness. Eventually she fell asleep.

I sat with her a while, just listening to her breathing, amazed by the way our relationship had changed since we first met. I still could not believe she was even willing to be friends with me, after all I had put her through. And yet here she was.

Sleeping on the couch wasn't the best idea, even if I really didn't want to move her away from me. I stood and picked Holly up. Her eyelids fluttered a little, and she shifted in my arms to lean her head against my chest. I was almost surprised my heartbeat didn't wake her up. It felt like it was beating way too fast. Being this close to Holly tends to do that to me.

I started toward the stairs. I staggered a little and Butler, who had been watching silently until now, asked me if I wanted him to take her.

I told him that I could do it myself. Butler sighed, but said OK. I think he was worried that I would drop her though.

I carried her up to the guest bedroom and laid her in the bed, pulling the covers up over her body. On impulse, I leaned down and kissed her forehead, the way I sometimes did for the twins.

55555

The next morning Holly beat me to the kitchen. When I walked in she was sitting at the kitchen table with Mother, drinking coffee. I dropped into the chair next to her and Mother pushed a mug of coffee towards me, smirking slightly. Holly also seemed amused by the fact that I don't do well in mornings. I blame it on being a teenager.

Mother had been reading the paper. She glanced up at me. "Oh, look, Arty, the local homeschool choir is holding a swing dance to raise money. You two should go."

I groaned. A dance? I did not want to go to a dance. "Mother!" I said indignantly.

Holly snickered. I was wining a little, but I wish Mother wouldn't do things like that. I don't enjoy socializing with people my own age.

"It would probably be fun for Holly. Don't you have to go home soon?" she said to Holly. To me she said, "We should do everything we can to have her enjoy her stay."

I put my head down on the table in defeat. "It's up to Holly," I said, hoping she would say she didn't want to.

"I think it sounds fun." She said. I could hear the smile in her voice. She though it was funny.

Mother beamed. "Excellent!"

55555

I led Holly into the dance. It just a gym, but they had hung Christmas lights around. The regular lights were dim. Well, as long as we were there, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to dance with Holly again. I pulled her onto the dance floor, dancing like we did last night. It felt right to dance with Holly. She was amazing. She had on a green skirt that swirled out when I twirled her. She looked beautiful. She had the most amazing smile, which she was giving me now.

"Alright everyone, we're gonna do a snowball!" the MC said, then proceeded to explain. A snowball is where two people start dancing then switch partners, pulling everyone in. a couple started. Then the MC called, "Snowball!" and they broke off. I watched the guy from the center come hold his hand out to Holly.

Holly took it, as it was only polite. He pulled her into the center of the circle. Whoever he was, he was a good dancer. I was glad to notice that he stayed away from a lot of fancy moves with Holly. I didn't want some creep picking her up as it seemed inappropriate. I knew that a girl should only do those kinds of moves with a guy she knows. It actually had surprised me last night when she let _me_ pick her up. It took a lot of trust for that. It felt good to know that she trusted me.

"Snowball!" someone yelled over the microphone. Holly ran to me and held out her hand. After that we ignored it when they called snowball and danced with each other.

After the snowball the MC played a couple regular swing songs. Then he announced, "I know this is a swing dance, but I've had several requests for a slow dance. So here you go."

A slow song came on. I glanced at Holly next to me. I thought it was a bad idea, but I asked anyway, as I probably wouldn't get another chance. "Will you dance with me?"

To my surprise she nodded. I moved to slide my arms around her. She reached up to wrap her arms around my neck. She was a little shorter than me, even as a human, but our heights seemed to match perfectly. I tightened my arms around her and leaned my cheek against the top of her head as we swayed back and forth.

The music faded but I didn't want to let go. It felt so good to have Holly in my arms. I found it hard to believe she was tolerating this, but I didn't want to think about it. I noticed that she didn't seem to want to get away from me either, which surprised me a little.

I sat next to Holly one of the benches that ringed the gym. Tentatively I put my arm around her shoulders and she surprised me again by leaning into me. I kept expecting everything I did to be a little too much and her to push me away. This couldn't last, could it?

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. It was driving me crazy. I had to know where we stood. And if I was going to find out, I was going to get everything out of it I could. I reached over and put the palm of my hand against her cheek. She turned her head to look up at me, looking slightly confused.

I felt sure this would not end well, but I had to do it. If I didn't, I would always wonder what might have happened. I leaned in and gently kissed her, waiting for her to push me away. But she didn't. Instead she kissed me back, and put her hand against my cheek to draw me a bit closer.

I would have liked to kiss her longer, but we were in a public place, so I had to pull away. But as I did she smiled at me, and I knew if I kissed her again later, when we were alone, she would kiss me back again. But for now, I just wanted to dance with her some more.

END

**Author note: Review for virtual cookies. No really, there's a link in my profile. And I really don't care if you say anything. I just want to know if you actually read it or just accidentally clicked the link. So, =D or D= if nothing else. That's not too hard. Anonymous is fine. Just tell me what you think. Cool?**


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